Sharon Begley, widely known throughout the industry for her ability to break down complex scientific theories and write about them in beautiful prose, was named senior editor in December 1996. She has been a senior writer for Newsweek's science stories since January 1990. She joined the magazine as an editorial assistant in Science in 1977, and was promoted to assistant editor in January 1979, associate editor in 1980 and then general editor in 1983.

Begley has written myriad cover stories for Newsweek. Her diverse body of 1998 work includes "Science Finds God," (7/20/98), "The Birth of Planets," (5/4/98) and "Are We All a Little Crazy?" (1/26/98). Other recent cover stories include: "Your Child's Brain" (2/19/96), which described how early childhood experiences literally wire the brain, building neural circuits that allow children to excel; "To Walk on Mars" (9/23/96), about the feasibility of a proposed $50 billion manned mission; "Better Than Vitamins" (4/25/94), about how eating whole foods helps reduce the risk of cancer; and "Beyond Prozac" (2/7/94).

Begley has received numerous awards for her work. "Your Child's Brain" earned Begley a Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications for "excellence in clear, concise communication." Her cover story, "The Puzzle of Genius" (6/28/93), which explored the question of where great intellectual achievement comes from, earned the Educational Press Association's Distinguished Achievement Award in 1994. Her November 23, 1992 cover story," Doomsday Science, explained new theories about how the world might end, and earned Begley a 1993 Aviation/Space Writers Association Premier Award. Begley also contributed to Newsweek's Summer 1991 special issue "How Kids Grow," and Newsweek's Fall/Winter 1990 special issue "How to Teach Our Kids" which received a number of awards including a first place 1991 Deadline Club Award for Public Service Reporting and a 1991 National Magazine Award nomination in the single-topic issue category from the American Society of Magazine Editors. She has also received the American Society on Aging's Media Award for "Choosing Death" (8/26/91), and in 1991 received a Global Award for Media Excellence from the Population Institute for "We Fowled Our Nest" (1/22/90), as well as a Benjamin Fine Award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Begley earned a B.A. from Yale University. She and her husband live in Pelham, New York with their son and daughter.